1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a job execution apparatus such as an image forming apparatus having the function of billing and refunding by electronic money, a billing and refunding method of the image forming apparatus, and a computer readable recording medium having a billing and refunding program recorded therein to make a computer of the job execution apparatus implement the billing and refunding method.
2. Description of the Related Art
The following description sets forth the inventor's knowledge of related art and problems therein and should not be construed as an admission of knowledge in the prior art.
Conventionally, a job execution apparatus such as an image forming apparatus allowing to use the copy and print functions thereof if coins are fed, is commonly seen in convenience stores and other places. And this job execution apparatus is configured to bill each time one sheet is copied or printed and refund if a change needs to be given after execution of a copy or print job.
Meanwhile, in recent years, we have more occasions to purchase a product by electronic money, by using a cell-phone having the payment function, a credit card or etc. In response to this, there suggested a job execution apparatus allowing to use the copy and print functions thereof, by billing by electronic money to a cell-phone having the payment function or a credit card.
This job execution apparatus is configured to bill to a cell-phone or a credit card by electronic money if it is set to a billing apparatus connected to the body of the job execution apparatus. However, if the method of billing each time one sheet is copied or printed is employed just like in the case of the job execution apparatus with the coin feeding system, it is necessary to keep a cell-phone or a credit card set to the billing apparatus the whole time until completion of job execution. That could increase the risk of thefts.
To resolve this problem, according to Japanese Unexamined Laid-open Patent Publications No. 2007-140990, No. 2007-048188 and No. 2006-318153, there suggested a job execution apparatus that calculates an amount of money required for job execution before job execution and bills the calculated amount to a cell-phone or a credit card collectively before job execution.
With this job execution apparatus, the amount of money required for job execution is collectively billed before job execution. Thus, it is not necessary any more to keep a cell-phone or a credit card set to the billing apparatus the whole time until completion of job execution. That could eliminate the risk of thefts and etc.
However, the job execution apparatus described in those publications above still leaves the following problem.
That is, if a user happens to cancel a job while it is being executed or if an machine trouble or etc. happens to the job execution apparatus, it would sometimes follow that only some operations of the job are executed or no operations of the job are executed. If a user encounters such a situation, it is necessary to set a cell-phone or etc. to the billing apparatus again, in order to receive a refund for unexecuted operations, by using the billing apparatus. Although, since having removed a cell-phone or etc. from the billing apparatus already, the user would frequently forget setting it thereto again. That could cause over-billing troubles.
The description herein of advantages and disadvantages of various features, embodiments, methods, and apparatus disclosed in other publications is in no way intended to limit the present invention. Indeed, certain features of the invention may be capable of overcoming certain disadvantages, while still retaining some or all of the features, embodiments, methods, and apparatus disclosed therein.